In the “war on drugs” being waged in and by the U.S. and other countries, one difficulty in waging the war is the collection and dissemination of data relating to new drugs or new drug forms made available on the street, and the manner in which such drugs are spread or distributed. In most circumstances, there is a considerable time delay (e.g., days, weeks, or even months) before the law enforcement and medical communities are able to identify and characterize new drugs (new in content, potency, size, shape, color, etc.) so as to begin the process of enforcement and/or treatment.
Moreover, even when such information is or becomes available, it is sometimes only partially complete, lacking in detail to enable easy dissemination to the communities that need it, such as drug enforcement agents, local law enforcement personnel, emergency room personnel, and clinic personnel.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a device that can quickly collect and disseminate detail data relating to new drugs or new drug forms. It is also desirable to provide a device that can quickly collect and disseminate detail data relating to the manner in which such drugs are spread or distributed. It is further desirable to provide a device that can quickly collect and disseminate detail data relating to new drugs or new drug forms and detail data relating to the manner in which such drugs are spread or distributed, which is portable. Lastly, it desirable to provide a device that, without significant effort, generates a standardized set of characteristics and associated images that is useful in the identification of new drugs or new drug forms.